Part Two: Termites Enter Your Home

Termites are smart little buggers. They have high analytical and communication skills engineered to help them survive. They can determine food sources from 100 yards away (a football field!) and have the strength to tunnel their way underground to secure them. Once a single termite finds food, it can signal the entire colony to follow it. In reverse, if the termite detects danger or inhabitable resources it can quickly tell other termites to avoid the area or pesticide poison. That’s why SENTRICON bait systems are a proven winner over alternative liquid treatments. The SENTRICON feeding system is like prime rib to hungry termites who will immediately choose it over your home (hot dogs). The termites feast on the patented bait product and bring it back to the queen, killing the termite colony at its root.

Without reliable termite protection, termites can easily designate your home as a 24/7 buffet station. They will enter your home in various ways mostly through lacking home maintenance issues, poor landscaping, or even simple human tasks. A thorough home inspection is vital to determine pest barrier points, needed exclusion services, and proper termite treatment solutions.

GGA Pest Management Technicians are trained to thoroughly inspect your Central Texas home for pest entry points from attic to basement and can easily see signs of infestation activity to identify proper solutions to fit your budget and needs.

Poor Home Maintenance

Poor home maintenance can increase the likelihood of a termite infestation. Here are some maintenance-related issues that can be observed by homeowners. However, it is important to note that termites are almost microscopic in size so entry points may be easily overlooked except to a trained GGA Pest Technician.

• Foundation Cracks: Pier-and-beam foundations sound like a given entry point and food source for hungry wood-chasing termites, but cracks in concrete foundations can lead to open termite invasion too. Those foundation cracks, even a hair-width, serve as a trail into a home’s interior where wood frames, beams, and trim work provide the essentials to a termite’s food resources.
• Wall Cracks: Like foundation cracks, wall cracks serve as pest entry points, but they are most common. Gaps between siding and home juncture points. Exposed walls from weathered/torn home-siding. #TechTip: If you can slide a credit card inside the crack, termites can waltz right into your home!
• Torn Screens: Same principle as wall cracks but often overlooked for termite entry. Most homeowners think of torn window/door screens when it comes to flies or mosquitoes, but termites can crawl upside the mesh straight into your home. Chimney screens and roof vent cracks can easily be overlooked as well. That’s why GGA Pest Technicians climb onto roofs for full termite inspections.
• Water Leaks: Termites are attracted to heavy moisture around your home’s foundation. Leaky gutters, garden hoses, sprinkler systems, and water faucets can contribute to water puddles creating excess moisture that eases termite tunneling.

Poor Landscaping

When you look out your windows and patio doors, you probably see a beautiful backyard to explore. When hungry termites look across your backyard, they see a beautiful home to devour. Here a few issues to address to help mitigate termite pest entry into your home.

• Poor Drainage: If your yard isn’t properly graded, poor drainage and foundation flooding can invite termite invasion. The saturated soil near the foundation makes it easy for termites to burrow their way beneath your home into wooden structures such as framing or trim.
• Nearby Debris: Piles of firewood serve as a termite stack and easy transportation vehicle into your home. Piles of raked mulch, leaves, and weeds provide excellent shelter to termites trespassing across your yard. Dead wooden stumps and trees are excellent termite magnets as they provide plenty of food with little human interaction.
• Untrimmed Tree Branches: Tree branches that hit your home are like little termite bridges straight to your roofline and chimney where they can easily move out of site. Remember when we mentioned termites can access your home through the chimney?
• Dense Plantings: We love gardens that attract butterflies, but untamed or ill planned gardens near your home’s foundation are ideal hunting grounds for termites as the garden plant’s roots retain excess moisture. #TechTip: SENTRICON bait stations are ideally placed 12-18” from your home. Keeping the area clean helps keep installation time and costs to a minimum.
• Untreated Termite Colonies: Homeowners who live near heavily wooded acres or inherit/buy properties housing termite colonies should be forewarn that termites travel easily and fast straight to their next food source: the house! Constant, careful surveillance of your home’s surroundings is vital to any pest prevention.

Everyday Human Tasks

Termites may not be stalking you, but they will definitely use you as a transportation vehicle whenever possible.

• Carrying Firewood: Central Texas winter weather can be brutal and there’s nothing better to combat it than a roaring fireplace. Unfortunately, dozens of termites could be living inside or outside wood logs brought from the backyard or nearby store. If you’re like most homeowners, you store it in a wood rack right next to the wall – a prime termite target!
• Buying Thrift Finds: That garage sale dresser may be a good find, but termites could be lurking inside just waiting to find a good home in your home. Central Texas homeowners should carefully inspect second-hand furniture for termites and launder second-hand clothing in the washer and dryer before installing items in their homes.
• Exploring the Park: Termite colonies can thrive in heavy woods that provide plenty of food resources and little human interaction. When you walk through the park or hike in the forest, termites can attach to your clothing and hop off once inside your home.

Once termite entry points and damage are identified, GGA Pest Technicians can go to work to create solutions for your pest problems. First, many entry points can be remedied with GGA Exclusion Services. By using patented products, simple barrier techniques, and focused detail, GGA Pest Technicians can help prevent termites from entering homes. Second, GGA Pest Technicians can treat current termite activity and prevent future activity. SENTRICON bait stations placed every 10-2 feet around your home’s foundation provide a semi-hidden “fence” of electronically monitored 24/7 protection. The patented bait is proven to be more desirable then your home’s interior wood sources – stopping termites in their tracks.

GGA Pest Management is here to help protect your home from termites and other pests and rodents too. Contact GGA at any time for a free inspection and quote.